The Ultimate Concern of Bible Translation
The ultimate concern of translation is to put a Hebrew or Greek sentence into meaningful English that is equivalent to its meaning in Hebrew or Greek.... For example, the very literal American Standard Version (ASV) translates Jesus' words in Mark 4:30 as, "How shall we liken the kingdom of God? or in what parable shall we set it forth?" This is almost a word-for-word translation, but it is unnatural English. No normal English speaker would say, "In what parable shall we set it forth?" The TNIV [and NIV] Translate, "What parable shall we use to describe it?" The formal structure of the Greek must be changed to reproduce normal, idiomatic English.
—Gordon D. Fee and Mark L. Strauss, How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth
Any comments or testimonies today?
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posted by Keith Finnegan @ 11:38 AM.
Yes this is understandable. But isn't this where we can get into "sticky" situations? I have seen very different translations of the same passage from various Bibles. Some are way off the original mark! I believe that this is where and when "discussions" about passages can get ugly!
While I am concerned about this, especially for new believers, I am at a loss as to how to prevent it.
Sometimes there are disagreements even among experts as to the meaning of certain words in context. But those occasional minor issues have not changed the fundamental teaching of Scripture in any way, shape, or form (study Bibles often note these alternative translations). That’s the amazing message we should convey to people. No other work of antiquity can even come close to that claim. God’s word has indeed been well preserved.
For those translations that are “way off the original mark,” we need to depend on credible and trustworthy experts (and I emphasize the words “credible and trustworthy”) for guidance on what translations are worthy of consideration. I believe Gordon Fee and Mark Strauss qualify as credible and trustworthy experts.
Can someone tell me where does it say that Jesus was born on December 25th?
CT, there is no date given in the Bible for the birth of Jesus. The December 25 date for celebrating the birth of Jesus was likely established by Emperor Constantine in 336. Prior to then, many Christians celebrated Christmas on January 7 (some still do). The fact is we really don't know the precise date on which Jesus was born. The important thing, in my opinion, is that we celebrate what His coming means to everyone regardless of when that celebration happens.
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